The legendary hotel Negresco in nice

The king trails up to the hotel Negresco

The hotel Negresco, flanking the promenade des Anglais in nice, — one of the world’s oldest hotels-Palas. This is one of the treasures of the Belle Époque, its always highly appreciated by lovers of comfort and beauty. Because by itself the Palace “Negresco” is also a cultural exception. His owner Jeanne Ogier turned it into a veritable Museum, filled with the most inspired works of art. Big fan of History (there just need to see Napoleon’s floor!) and animals, one of the great stars of the era, such as Dali or Sophia Loren, Jeanne Ogier put your hotel in the beautiful decoration. And Negresco, established the Romanian immigrant, is perhaps the most brilliant and most instructive Palace in the world.

I will repeat that you need to travel in winter, especially on the French Riviera. All used to dramatize the effects of global warming, but why not take advantage of their effect, to take a cruise in the summer Arctic, or at least to discover the beauty of the hotels of the Riviera in winter? You will appear before alcinova the sky, Ocharovanie at the time of Nietzsche, Sisi and Russian Queens; here is never cold; you will not feel too much moisture or air pollution.

Here reigns a special charm and grandeur that will make you to prestressing forces, especiallyin the walk along Royal paths leading to nearby villages, caught like the bird’s nest, the mountain ridges; little fishing boats upon the occurrence of a fine day of water fill itself and make the space totally forget about summer monsters — huge cruise ships, and especially for the superyacht unbearable.

Prices are reasonable, sometimes they make up only a third of the price usual in August-the month. Of course, those who prefer water skiing in the Seychelles, imprisoned in the walls of the Museum of Chinese culture or a resort in Goa, there is nothing to do… But, as I said, we should go back to where it all began: you need to contact in the nineteenth century to Santander, the most beautiful in Spain, maybe in Europe seaside resort, and to nice, with its palaces of the epoch of Napoleon, the gardens in the style of Rio de Janeiro, hotel Negresco and, of course, with its English promenade, in the old days, framed by gardens, and not modern buildings.

Don’t forget that the Empress was sent to these shores precisely in winter, when the sweat made it difficult to see because of the summer heat. Usually summered in Bryde, Luchon or in Baden, leaving the right for future vacationers to lose a bunch in the campgrounds tomorrow! No, to travel in the winter — it means to find true divine spirit and the boundless blue skies of the côte d’azur! As an accompanying book take the “Ecce homo” by Nietzsche, he will explain everything, or my humble work in French on “the waking journey”, in which I tried to revive amateurish spirit of dedication of the modern traveler.

I decided to make a gift and to go with his wife to the day of my birth in “the Negresco”. What are tasteless trifle with such a memory? We arrived on a fine morning, visited a large hall, which shows the whole history of this lovely Home, we walked along the corridors, Museum rooms, nestled carpets Vasarely. Each floor has one or a few thematic decorations. I have a weakness for the art of the Enlightenment and to the Chinese ornaments, the other may be to the liking of the African gallery on the first floor. In the possession of the Museum of the Palace are several paintings of eminent painters — Ladrillera, Rigaud, and Cocteau, and, of course, Salvador Dali.

He was one of the close friends of the hostess, as well as Sophia Loren, who, being a real Italian, demanded, stopping in the hotel, separate kitchen to cook your own spaghetti! After all, this House is a real Museum under the open sky, or, more precisely, under the closed sky, it is silent as the grave, but in magic he leaves it to his masterpiece to Wake up and move in the night.

We were lucky enough to get to the fourth floor of Napoleon, a part he devoted to the Empire and Imperial greatness. I in no way call himself a Bonapartist, but when I got up before Him, the Emperor, I began to melt as Leon Blois before the soul of Napoleon. The feelings overwhelmed me almost to tears. Why? Why cry about the Emperor? He is handsome, full of glory, it is so full of taste. Because the style of “Empire” is Pharaoh’s Egypt, only much finer. Napoleon Was The Son Of Heaven.

The hotel staff is accommodating and sociable, without unnecessarily underlined professionalism and robotism that became in our days the distinctive features of hotel networks of carpets destined for mechanized supermanhood, due to progressive printing dollar bills. Here is the family (the word spoiled now capital), humble the society of friends. “Negresco” is “truly blooming farm”. I walked across the gallery Chantecler, surrounded by a halo cock the symbolism, the poetry of Rostand and solar themes. It’s more than just time travel, this is a journey into the very spirit of France.

I open casually a beautiful picture full of symbols and metaphors, the artist — Isabelle Plante, she’s in the portrait captures the great soul of the place and its mistress, veresova in detail the symbolic ideas: why is she here painted egg, to which the head of a RAM, a chess Board, a stack of books. How to get rid of reigns (or rules?) Jeanne Ogier — the great soul “Negresco”, said Victor Hugo — and I followed after him.

We were lucky to meet her in the evening next to the lobby, guarded watchful look helpful team of registrars-polyglots and polite concierges with an indescribable sense of humor. We sit in a beautifully decorated café-bar. Jeanne Ogier looking cat, name this red-haired cat Carmen, in whose company we sat on the couch, preferring her feline and purring drowsily company little group avid talkers, descended, apparently, from the Carpathian mountains. My wife knew the owner, we greeted her and started a conversation. I appeal to the memories, because in 1979 I was awarded the Negresco for my Patriotic poem dedicated to the French flag, this competition was organized by the Association honored veterans! This will not suit you.

The lady is very touched by the story and the memories. She explains in a slow voice their ideas and how they were carried out, talks about his project, about taste in art and love of animals. I show her the coffered ceiling in the majestic Versailles salon (Madame Ogier prefers to call this room “Louis XIV”), the ceiling was dismantled and transported here from one of the mysterious castle, which in former times was inhabited by the Mancini family, in the painting of the ceiling I begin to guess mythologically well-honed story — Prometheus on the Caucasus, freed by Hercules. The eyes of Madame Ogier wlanut, the eyes of my wife. However, the hostess should be removed. We leave her, hoping soon to see her again.

Our room upholstered in blue silk and decorated with fine taste, fine furnishings, window and overlooks the sea, and the Villa Massena — the pearl of art during the Empire belongs in the past century (almost 200 years ago!) the family of Grand Marshal. The Museum offers to our view the wonderful paintings and photographs depicting what was nice in the era of Garibaldi and empresses! Well as you can be born like I did, with a delay of a hundred years. The staff that works in the Villa Massena, flawless; there you can feel pride in the fact that you are French by nationality! Good nice! “Doodle!” as Madam says Ogier. And, like waves, on me it brought back memories of childhood:

I sing flag as yourself,

I like it’s Shine and redden,

I like it on the winds aloft

And each word I give the meanings…

Palace, similar Negresco is home, it’s lovely abode, it is said, abode, endowed with soul and principles. Here the soul is very great, because it is the soul of Madame Ogier. And as this vast house is contained so perfectly, it leaves any desire to leave, I want only to walk its corridors and greet animating pictures or leaving only for a moment — alas! — always bustling waterfront. But we have nothing to complain about. Here, the “Negresco” you could live a whole life, or at least one season and write in all languages of the residents of the mysterious tales and history.

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